Dark Side

My hands played through Holly's blond hair as her head rested on my lap. Her cheeky humor brought back memories and it caused me to feel some sort of happiness.

“How was interning in the city that never sleeps?” I asked curiously. I really did wonder how life was like for her after college. Holly shifted on her back and looked up with me with a straight face.

“Let's just say I am so glad to be out of there. I wasn't getting any hours, at least enough to count for the real thing. So while I worked my ass off I searched around for more popular places that actually had what I was looking for. And, voila, here I am!”

I gave her a confused expression, “But the interning for the fashion columnist is in London, not here.”

Holly let out a cackle and grabbed my face and kissed me, “That is what I love about you, Lana bear! Your sheer oblivion!” I cocked an eyebrow, “Interning doesn't start for another week, so I said, why the hell not visit my best friend until then?”

“Oh,” I felt stupid, incredibly stupid. I blamed myself for never being able to think right anymore, it made me look worse than I already was. “But where will you be staying?”

“Dad gave me enough for a small flat, but I had to promise him to get this job and hopefully a room mate in order to stay here.”

“Don't get a new best friend or I will kill you,” My glare gained an eye roll from the blond who sat up and curled her arm into mine. “I'm only an our away, and besides, I don't want a room mate. I want a bloody kitten!” We laughed as she showed me a picture of the one she had adopted a few days ago. “I pick him up next week, he's almost eight weeks old which is the perfect time for adoption. He is so precious!”

“That he is,” I smiled down at the happy girl, wondering how someone could stay in such a state for so long without having at least one break down. I never believed that everyone was happy at every minute of the day; but Holly was definitely different.

“So what are the plans for tonight?” Holly expected partying, I should have known. Luckily with my mum out of town once again, I was able to sneak the wine bottle from my drawer and take it as an advantage for tonight.

“Just like the old days,” I mumbled, popping open the cap and taking a large amount. Holly reached for the bottle eagerly and took a nice gulp down. I watched as her face scrunched up.

“Hell I haven't had some good Rose in a long time, I'm so glad we're back. The pack is back, uh-huh!” Rolling my eyes, I snatched the bottle back as Holly got up and danced in front of the window – luckily no one was outside watch. “WAIT!” I froze in my spot as Holly hopped down off the wooden step that lead to my balcony. “Let's go out tonight, Lana.”

I shook my head, “No, Holly tonight wouldn't be a good night. . .”

Holly gave me an odd expression, she wasn't used to this side of me, at least not like at first. She began to give me her puppy dog eyes and reach forward for my hand. I carefully considered our choices and the outcomes. We could sneak out, drink for awhile, come back and not get caught. Or we could get caught and I would never hear the end of it from Liam. No matter how good of a brother he was, he was too overprotective and hypocritical. And seeing as Holly was only here for a few days, I took this as my advantage to try something other than hurt myself. I knew that I wouldn't fall back into this routine after Holly left, because then I wouldn't have fun. Being drunk alone made you actually think about things – and I didn't like to think.

“Let's go.” Holly let out a small squeal as she propped the bottle of wine on my dressed and rummaged through her suitcase. She pulled out her knee – high magenta dress laced with black around her chest that clung to her body perfectly. She grabbed her black heels and accessories before stripping down into nothing. As she changed I went through my sad excuse of a wardrobe and pulled out my galaxy leggings, black ankle boots and white tank top with my black leather jacket. I had barely ever wore this outfit, so finally pulling it over my fat body, I fell in love with it, no matter how bad I looked in it.

“You look gorgeous, Holly,” I commented as I pulled on my last boot. She looked up and smiled before looking at me up and down.

“I'm gorgeous? Lana have you seen yourself? You're a fucking babe! All the boys are going to be crawling all over you tonight.” I scoffed, rolling my eyes as I opened the window to my balcony. Luckily when we had moved into the house, I was able to choose the balcony that had an easy out on getting to the ground. Holly and I cackled as we leapt to the ground, crashing on our heels. Taking my hand, Holly pulled me out to the road where we began to our destination. “Dammit!” Holly groaned, stopping in her step.

Biting my lip and pulled her along, “What did you forget, your ID?”

Holly let out a giddy chuckle, “ Of course not! I forgot the wine bottle!” Laughing, I towed the girl further down the road. “I hope the club isn't that far.”

“It's not really a club. I mean, it is, in a way, but people drink more than they dance,” I explained, awkwardly, as Holly gaped.

“I guess we are just going to have to change that now aren't we?”

~

The past, the memories, it all came back to me as Holly and I stepped into Bruno's. The music was pounding, sure to scratch my ear drums. The dance floor wasn't completely filled but it had dancers. The bars were filled with rowdy drunks and obnoxious bartenders. Holly and I smiled at each other and hopped up to the bar.

“Two jacks with coke, please!” Holly ordered at the bartender, giving off her best flirty smile. Rolling my eyes I put down a twenty dollar bill. Holly looked down and gaped before looking into my eyes with a smirk. “Eight shots of sambuca, too!”

It was my turn to gape, “You're not serious.”

Holly thanked the bartender and took down her first shot. “Oh, I am.”

“But sambuca makes you slutty.”

She let out a chuckle, “Of course it does. It makes everyone slutty, Lana. But nothing will happen tonight, just drink up!” I shrugged, Holly was right. She was leaving in a couple days and I never did this anymore. Grabbing a shot I downed it, letting it go smoothly down my throat. And then I took another one right after that. “Woo! Now we're getting somewhere!”

About four shots of sambuca and two cokes with jack later, Holly and I had taken ourselves to the dance floor that now, thanks to us, was beginning to fill up. The speakers pumped music loud enough for the floors to vibrate and be heard from blocks away. With a drink in one hand and the other entwined with Holly's hand, we sang along to the songs that we knew and danced around like we did back in college. As fun as it was, in the back of my head I knew it would be over soon.

Holly and I walked back over to the bar and paid for more shots. “Lana, I'm gonna seduce this pig and while I do so, grab the bottle of sambuca and run, got it?” Our faces got closer, trying our best not to look so suspicious I nodded, watching as she headed over the the side where the bartender was pouring drinks for another girl. As Holly began to use her charm, smiling and flicking her hair off her shoulder, I looked around before leaning over the edge and grabbing the full bottle of sambuca. Drunkenly I took a leap off the stool and ran for the door.

“Holly!” I slurred, waving the bottle in the air. Her eyes widened, and I realized what I just did. The security and bartender looked over at me, their eyes now in a glare. “Um, well. . . RUN!” I screamed, shoving my body out of the door and over to the road. I heard Holly loudly cackle behind me as she caught up. We ran a while longer before the coast was clear.

I popped open the bottle and took a large swig, “That was righteous!” Holly grabbed the bottle and took a drink before grabbing onto my arm and she tumbled forward.

“Don't bring me down with you, you slag!” My words were forming together and I could barely understand what the hell I was really saying.

“I can't believe we did that. Lana, we haven't done that trick since -”

“College, oh how I hate youuu!” I let out a drunken laugh before taking another swig of the alcohol. Holly and I trailed down the road, stumbling and laughing as we walked.

“These bloody heels are killing my damn feet!” I stopped in my place and yanked the death traps off my feet. I didn't bother to notice the dirty and hard ground that I was walking on. I didn't really care.

“Do you remember when Jake Thomas tried drugging you at Alyssa's party?” Holly giggled at the memory, I rolled my eyes and drank.

My arm linked with Holly's again and I remembered. “Oi! That little bloke was as desperate as ever!”

“Well,” Holly snorted, “He did want some of your British crème; every boy did, in fact.” I opened my mouth and literally howled like a wolf.

“You sleaze that is not true at all!” We argued all the way as we got to my house. I stared at my balcony, extremely dizzy and confused. “Alright, let's do this.” Even though there had been small stairs built for me to walk up and down, right then in my mind it looked like an impossible mountain. I crawled on my knees, grasping tightly to the stairs as I went up. I could hear Holly cackling behind me as she followed. I thanked my sober self for leaving the door unlocked and tumbled inside.

“Shh!” We laughed again, falling onto the ground as we enjoyed our fits of drunken laughter. “Lanaboo, you know what would really help with this drunkeness shit whatever you want to call it?” My eyebrow lazily rose up before a smile appeared on my lips at the sight of what Holly had in her hand. “Looks like this blunt needs to be smoked. God dammit, where is my lighter? Aha!”

“We are horrible!” Laughing, I inhaled, letting the smoke catch in my throat, and instantly I felt better. “I haven't done this in so long ya know. But, I must say, this is truly something to take advantage of, yeah?” Holly nodded, already taking her fourth hit. Rolling over, since the two of us were too drunk to move, I grabbed my phone and plugged it into my iHome. I hit play on the first song in my shuffle. Holly looked over at me and at the same time we both cackled. “The Killers, oh Holly Holly Hollyyyy.”

“Dammit,” Holly laughed, lighting up her blunt again. After her hit she handed it to me; and this time I took didn't rush it. Pushing myself to my wobbly feet, I put my finger on my phone and turned it up all the way. I hadn't been thinking but I felt like we were back in college. Holly slammed another shot of sambuca down her throat while I danced around and sang loudly, unaware that I would be waking anyone up.

I yanked Holly to her feet as I took another hit. With heavy arms and legs I flailed around my room, until my foot got caught under my other foot and I fell face first into the ground. Holly's laugh exploded over the music. I rolled over and laughed with her, and it continued even as my door swung open. Liam's face looked groggy, but I could see the confusion and anger in his eyes.

“What the hell are you doing, Lana? It's four in the morning!” Liam walked over and knelt down. I watched as Holly crawled into my bed and hid under my covers. That caused me to laugh hysterically again, angering Liam even more. He pulled me up and set me against my bed. “What – Lana are you drunk? Not only that, but you're smoking?” I laughed again, pinching Liam's cheeks. He was so cute.

“Oh Liam, it's okay it's not like I'm gonna die or anything.” Liam's eyes flinched at my thoughtless words. “You're overreacting, little brother!” Out of the corner of my eye I saw Harry and Louis appear around the corner, watching the commotion. “Oh hello boys, care to join us for some sam – sam – Holly what in the world are we drinking?”

“SAMBUCAAAAAA!” Holly yelled from under the sheets. We both began to laugh again, and as I looked over at Liam I could feel myself falling over.

“Oops, looks like I drank a bit too much, yeah? I'm proper pissed huh?” I cackled again as I looked over at the boys standing in my door way. “Oh, come join, I have a bit of the blunt – Hey, Liam!” I scoffed as he grabbed it out of my hand and walked into my bathroom. I heard the toilet flush before he came back into the room. “You're such a fucking wanker!”

“Lana! Please! Go to bed, I'm not going to lecture you while you're intoxicated.” Liam grabbed both of my shoulder's and forced me to look at him.

I rolled my eyes, “Oh fine, Liam, you're such a party pooper!”

“Get to bed,”

I laughed, “I believe i'm too drunk to move, sir!”

“Here, I've got her, “I heard a male's voice from behind Liam. I looked up to see Harry reaching for me.

“Wow,” I shoved Holly over who was already passed out. “You bitch you're already asleep!” Holly groaned in annoyance before rolling over to face the wall. My eyes went back to Harry's green ones. “Aren't you a looker! Ha!”

Harry shook his head as he covered me with my blanket. I remember him kissing my forehead, telling me to get some sleep. And right after he left the room with the others, I went out.